


Dangerous Tastes of Hope

by ShyOwl



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Bottom Steve Rogers, Dark, Dark Tony Stark, Emotional Manipulation, Fix-It of Sorts, Hurt Steve Rogers, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, M/M, Manipulation, Multiverse, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Tony Stark, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Top Tony Stark, Villain Tony Stark, alternative universe, dub-con, not really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-19 20:51:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18978136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShyOwl/pseuds/ShyOwl
Summary: Thanos had plans for the after of his victory: a peaceful, secluded retirement with his heir on the throne ensuring the peace and domination over the universe he worked so hard for. The death of his daughter made him believe not all plans were meant to meet full fruition. Then he met the man in the iron suit.What he lost in Gamora he found in Tony Stark.With a little push from the stones and a promise of a beautiful, broken soldier Thanos may have secured his victory in a terrible, horrifying, glorious way no one had ever prepared for.





	Dangerous Tastes of Hope

**Author's Note:**

> Please enjoy more Dark!Tony! This is also very, very pro-Steve. For any new reader of mine, please be aware that Steve is my favorite and will never be bashed or hated. 
> 
> Mild Warning: Language used briefly can be read as feminization or gender-neutral. I wrote it as gender-neutral but it could be read as something else. And brief mention of past substance abuse.

-o-

“Memories are the key to the soul.” Thanos noted, walking around Tony. “The Skrull’s technology along with the Mind stone is a very useful tool.”

Tony calmly inhaled and exhaled, keeping his stare off of the monster and just concentrated on not panicking. He was bounded by technology of another species, apparently one called the Skrull, with images from his head playing in front of them like a movie. His past, his parents, his torture…all laid out bare for this creature to watch as he pleased.

His stomach churned as he watched his mother kiss him goodbye for the last time.

“And your soul is strong.” Thanos said.

“Is there a point to all of this?” Tony finally managed out, his temper and fear making it hard to keep silent.

“I thought of you after we parted and how the worlds should remember you and what you tried to achieve. Seeing you still alive after my purpose was completed just made me understand there was more to my destiny than I believed.”

“Ah yes, your destiny in killing billions upon billions.” Tony seethed, remembering the kid, his kid, slowly disntergrate from his fingers.

“You’ve lost your child, as I have.” Thanos’ tone was sympathetic and Tony lurched for him, snarling. The binds cut into his exposed skin but he didn’t care as all he wanted to do was rip at the grape’s juglar and end him in the most barbaric, hurtful way possible.

“You murdered the daughter you kidnapped and abused for years after slaughtering her family.” Tony’s eyes were lit with so much hate he could feel himself burning, “As told by your other daughter that you kidnapped and abused and left for dead. Don’t you fucking dare begin to pretend we’re in the same situation.”

“Ah, Nebula.” Thanos shook his head, disappointed. “She was never as strong as her sister but I never thought her so weak to betray me.”

“You never had her loyalty to begin with.” Tony sneered. “You had her fear and her loneliness. Nothing else.” God, he hoped that poor woman was safe. After Thanos just appeared on their brokendown ship and whisked him away, he had no knowledge on what happened to her or where she was. Left alone on a deathrap that was running out of oxygen with no one to call her a winner or teach her how to play rock-paper-scissors.

His fingers were desperate to press into Thanos’ eyes and gouge them out. He wanted to make this monster wail.

“Sometimes fear is what is necessary.” Thanos did something and the screen with his memories changed to where he was building his first suit in the cave. “Fear brought you to strength and glory. You’ve reimagined reality and made the world your own.”

“None of this is for you to see.”

“I need to make sure you are the one as I feel you are.”

“The one for what?” Tony spat.

“To be the one, my heir.”

“Your…what?” Tony shook his head, feeling numbness fall over him. “The _fuck_? Your heir?”

“It was supposed to be my daughter. I had seen her on the throne, ruling over the new universe I built, and ensuring its safety and progress. She rejected it and…” he trailed off a moment and an expression of sadness crossed his face. “Her sacrifice was necessary for the greater good.”

“You fuckng freak. You disgusting, moronic, piece of shit.” Tony growled. “She didn’t sacrifice herself; you murdered her. And if you think I’d ever be something as revolting as your heir, you are more insane than I first gave you credit for.”

“I think you will see reason, where she didn’t.” Thanos continued in that calm voice as if nothing affected him. “I went about Gamora the wrong way. It will be different with you. Now that I have all the stones…I can do this right.”

“You’re doing nothing.”

Thanos smiled and Tony wanted to vomit. “If I survived my plan, my hope was to retire to a life of quiet and peace, knowing my heir was protecting everything I worked for…after her death, I concluded not all plans could be perfet and I would only need to destroy the stones to ensure my work remained.”

“Psychotic fuck.”

“It will work with you. After all,” His hand rose with the damaged gauntlent gleaming with the stones. “We have all of time at our disposal.”

Something cold gripped Tony’s insides. “You’ll just need to kill me. It won’t happen. It won’t happen.”

“Oh, my son,” Thanos placed a heavy hand on Tony’s shoulder. “That is where you are wrong.”

-o-

“You’re not killing anyone with that blow.” Thanos side-stepped as Tony tried to dig a dagger into his gut. “I am one hand down and it is still too easy for me to avoid your attack.”

“Don’t know what you expect from me, you piece of shit.” He hissed, sweat pouring down his body. “I’m fifty and I fight with a suit.”

“You’re still strong…but you are right. Your species and aging are different than my own.” Thanos nodded to himself and then held his hand out, he barely made a grunt of pain using an arm melted into gold, and the air glowed green. After a moment he snapped and Tony coughed, a pressure in his chest, before he staggered back and then his vision cleared.

“What the hell was tha…” He trailed off and gripped his throat. “What…” his hand trailed up to his face where he did not find his famous goatee but a smooth face. “What did you do to me?”

“You are now the age of fifteen. A prime age to begin proper warrior training.”

“What?!” Tony yelped, wincing when his voice cracked. 

“You are correct that training you as I did my daughters would not be right. This age is ideal given your experience.”

“You de-aged me!?” Tony hated the way his voice sounded.

“I’m surprised you’re not more grateful. You say you wish to kill me, yes? I am training you for this very opportunity.” 

“You’re training me to be your heir.”

Thanos smirked, “And as my heir I expect you to have the ability to kill me. Surpass me. You win the position from me and you take the stones. You can do whatever you want with them.”

Tony paused. 

“Yes, my son, you could bring them all back if you wish. Though, I know you won’t. Not when I am done with you and you are ready to take my place.”

Tony gritted his teeth, “Fuck off.”

“Good passion. I see you are ready for another spar. Hold up your weapon up properly and attack to kill.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, dick.” Tony gripped the handle of the blade tight before he made a motion to stab, hoping to feel the pop of the bastards skin. Instead, he found himself flipped over and a fist the size of his entire torso slam into his gut.

Gagging, he slumped forward and vomited.

“Get up, my heir, and try again.”

-o-

Tony didn’t know how long he’d been training but he was at least twenty-two now. He wasn’t sure if he was growing normally or slowly or if he was a new age every day. Thanos had made sure Tony understood that time was something else entirely now.

Eternity was something else entirely.

His suit, still there of sorts, was broken but fixable. His fingers continued to tinker and play and grow but nothing came from it. Thanos allowed him to use his suit to some degree but no matter what he did or add the damned thing did nothing against those meaty, purple hands that knew death better than anyone else.

Nothing worked. He still breathed.

God, he desperately missed his beard.

Throwing a wrench to the side, he flopped to his back, trying to do his best and keep the building rage from exploding out of him. Or puking. Or screaming.

Grounding his palms against his eyes he let out a miserable shaky breath.

‘Steve…’ Not for the first time had that name bounced around his head. It should’ve been Pepper or Rhodey or, hell, even Friday…instead it was good ol’ Captain America.

‘Fuck you.’ He gritted his teeth. ‘You’re not fair. You’re just fucking not fair.’

All this time, whatever this time was, and still those blue eyes haunted him. He could still remember that scent that made him imagine a cabin surrounded by pine woods in the snow, filled with vanilla and warm fires. How Steve’s cheeks and ears burned pink when complimented and his rare crooked smiles lit up his face. How his guarded face completely melted at a sight of a dog and how his brow softened when he started to draw or bake.

Steve liked to hum. He wasn’t aware of it, of course, as he would stop once someone made note. It was a nice sound and always felt strangely gentle from someone of his physique. 

‘Steve. Steve. Steve.’

His bottom lip trembled and his arms felt so empty. He just wanted to hold him, press his nose against the nape, and feel skin against skin. Even when they were at their worst against each other, just being in the same space and he never felt alone. Steve was the only one who ever sparked something akin to life in him; he was ready and impatient and eager. 

It should be Pepper. Why couldn’t it be Pepper? 

He had tried to move on, but they had both known the dream he shared with her it was Steve that was by his side, laughing as the toddler gripped at his face and called him, “Papa.” It was Steve he woke up pressed again, sharng flirty words, and grinning as a kiss became something full of fie and adoration.

Tony wanted a daughter. A little princess who would be doated on by her fathers. He still liked the name Morgan, if Pepper would let him have it, but Sarah, after Steve’s mother, sounded just as wonderful.

‘Holy hell, look at what you do to me, Cap. I’m still a lovesick loon for you. Even here in this SCI-FI epic torture landscape where I have a grape and tesatore flavored pringle trying to adopt me.’ He smiled to himself. ‘The power of that ass is too strong.’

Tony let out a whoosh a breath and did his best to will the thoughts of the beautiful man out of his system. Now that he was young again, it felt like he could get hard because of a breeze (a sexy breeze, he thought with a snort) so any thought of his captain would not be good for him in this situation. And he was not taking care of things like masturbation when big, purple, and ugly was around.

Ew.

Tony rolled over to his side and found it impossible not to let his imagination drift off into happiness; he was in bed, sun peeking through blinds that Steve annoyingly always kept cracked, and he could smell breakfast whiffing throughout the house. The bed still smelled of winter pine and though the mattress was cool there was an indent from where his husband had laid just a short time before. He could feel the sheets pick up and a lump-bug slowly crawl up, her hair tickling his bare stomach, before he grinned and pulled away the sheets with a BOO. Morgan squealed in delight as he picked her up and made her bounce on the bed before he began to blow on her chubby belly.

"Beard! Noooo!" She'd cheer. "Nooo daddy!"

"What are you doing in here?" He'd say, already knowing the answer.

"Papa says breakfast is ready." She said in that matter of fact tone she learned from Steve. "We need to come down."

"Well, if papa says so." He picked her up, "You came up here all by yourself?"

"I had a mission." She puffed out her chest.

"Wow, well, you did an amazing job soldier." He gave her a kiss on the head. "Where's your sister?"

"In bed. We need to get her up." Morgan wiggled around to be put down.

"You go on and get back to papa and help him out."

"You got it dude!" She gave him a thumbs up which he returned. He watched as she went down the stairs, taking one at a time, before he went into the bedroom at the end of the hall where the door was plastered with bunnies, next to the one painted with flowers and dragons--Morgan was in a fairy-tale stage.

"Hey, sweetheart." He cooed as he looked down at the little blond, sleeping on her tummy. Tony gently pat her, easing her awake. "Breakfast time."

The little toddler gave a groan before awkwardly picking herself up, whining.

"Shh, shh, daddy's here." She felt so wonderful in his arms, a little lump of rolls and softness. Her onesie had a hood with bunny ears on it which he eagerly flipped up and over her head. She was so cute with her chubby cheeks and bleary blue eyes and that ridiculous hood.

He gave her a kiss on the head and brought her downstairs for breakfast. The windows were open and a breeze from the lake blew in. In a matter of hours their yard would be filled with squeals and smell of burning wood and food as the Avengers came over for a visit and celebration as Peter was in from college.

"Morning, Tony." Steve greeted before he stepped in; damned super solider sensing. 

"Morning." Tony breathed out in awe, always taken aback by the sight of his husband. Basked in a golden light, his cheeks flushed pink, and his hair in a desperate need for a haircut. His feet were bare and he was in a ridiculous apron with Snoopy Dog printed over it that was splattered with blueberry pancake batter. "Beautiful."

Steve flushed and then laughed when Morgan started to pull at his pant leg, wanting attention. Big brown eyes looking to get an ice-pop for her breakfast fruit rather than the freshly cut melons prepared on the counter.

It was beautiful and it was Tony's.

He shuddered himself awake, feeling the tremors of the heavy feet of Thanos approaching. Steve, Morgan, and Sarah with their lake-house to be filled with their Avengers family was his and he would not have good ol monstrous pops ruin any of it for him. It was his salvation.

Picking himself up, he glared daggers at the door as it opened up and Thanos came in. He wielded two blades, one taller than Tony, and tossed the other to the young man. "Your suit's progress is well?"

He caught the blade, twirling it absentmindedly in his hands, "Good enough."

"To the point it may kill me?"

Tony scowled, glaring hotly at the creature, "Not yet."

Thanos nodded. "Let's try again then, my son."

Tony spat at the ground, "Sure thing, dad. Sure thing."

-o-

This was his fifth time being thirty, Tony figured. He lost count of the years he'd spent with Thanos now. Time no longer made sense and he gave up on trying to truly figure it out--as long as Thanos had that fucking Time-stone, there would never be a possibility to figure it out.

Tony stared at himself in the mirror, taking in his appearance. His torso was thick with muscles, like it was cut from granite, with scars trailing a jagged path around him. He finally had his goatee back though there was no grey to be found, something he strangely found himself bitter about. The wing-chun had had obsessed with for years had evolved into abilities he was sure were no longer quite human Something terrible and lethal. He knew thousands of ways to kill a person painlessly. Tens of thousands of ways to kill with agony. All with his hands alone. A blade felt as a part of him as a screwdriver.

As he was, he could pin Steve down...make him do whatever Tony wanted, make him suffer and beg for more...

He quickly squeezed his eyes shut.

Those thoughts were not accepted. He was not that kind of man. That was Thanos. That was Thanos. That was Thanos.

Tony always had a bit of a possessive streak. He tried to work on it throughout his life but it just had a tendency of coming out more like a spoiled brat who didn't want to share attention than anything...dark. 

He scrubbed his face, hating how steady his fingers were, before he looked out the window into endless space. They hadn't been off this spaceship since the start. Tony rarely saw anyone outside of grape juice (he needed better nicknames--after what was possibly a hundred years the grape thing was stale) and he knew his mind; it was not in a good state.

He gave himself props for not going insane a long time ago but that will only be for so long. His daydreams of a life with Steve were hyper-real and each time he woke from them a bit more of him died. A vision of Steve plagued his waking moments and no matter how many times he tried to fight it, he would always reach for the shadow of the man.

His sweet Steve.

No.

He shook his head. He couldn't start like that.

Liar. Steve was a liar. He wasn't sweet and wonderful. He wasn't good. He was a liar. He chose a murderer. He never listened. He was too prideful and stubborn. He was naive and heroic and stupid and selfless...god, Tony would never not love the man. Never. Steve could betray him a million times over and Tony would always want him. Tony had seen the true goodness in the man, had laughed with the hysterical wit, experience the will to sacrifice anything for others.

With a deep inhale, he shuddered the thoughts off his shoulders.

Thanos was coming soon for another training session and he needed to be prepared. Tony was apparently needed to some extent but if he did not continue to prove his worth, Thanos would throw him over a cliff like he did his other child.

"Fuck." He snarled. "Prisoner. Prisoner. There is no relationship here."

These slip-ups were happening more often and it made him sick.

Wrapping his fists up to his elbow, searching for his blades. They were slick and made of a metal not from earth; something that felt somewhat similar to iron but was made of a harder material. It was sharpened to a point normally only achieved by laser back home. It could cut through stone, perhaps even give Steve's shield a terrible blow, and skin fell apart slicker than paper to scissors.

Tony loved to imagine driving these blades into every centimeter of Thanos, make him suffer and for Tony to sit back and enjoy it all. 

He pulled on his boots, strapping them tight to his calves for best support and leg attacks. He missed his own from the Iron Man suit, missed the ability to fly freely, but that would come later. His suit was slowly making progress into something magnificent. Even better than before. He was almost there...there was just something missing in that final understanding. How to take him from Tony Stark into something superior. 

Nano-technology, the better use of Extermis, a sense of control...owning it all.

'Stop it.' His fists balled tightly together. 'Just stop it.'

"My son," Thanos voice broke over the quiet room, vibrating the walls with an unspoken demand. "It is time."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep your panties on, old man." Tony sneered, twirling his blades before sheathing them into their place at his thighs and hips. He wasn't allowed to keep the guns in his room--apparently he could construct something to escape with them or something like that.

Pulling on a shirt, Tony fixed himself up and smiled down at himself and the fact the shirt barely fit across his chest. He wondered if this was a problem Steve had. While he hadn't grown as big as his Steve, he was still a bit on the sort of short side (as much as he hated to admit it), his body was, for lack of a better word, buff and toned. Hell, he’d call himself hot as fuck. He wondered how Steve would look at him...he knew the pretty blond had a crush on him on some level; at least had found him attractive which did something amazing for Tony's confidence that someone as beautiful as Steve checked him out often when he was twenty-years his senior. 

When those sweet blue eyes trailed over his face in adoration and desperate lust clouded them as he gazed over Tony's shoulders and thighs, probably imagining Tony pinning him down as they rut against one another...it made Tony's mouth water. Of course, Steve was a bit of an idiot at times. He was oblivious and dense and never noticed Tony returning those same looks and thoughts.

There was something cute about that. Something so sweet...but he was a liar. He did wrong. Steve was bad. He needed a punishment. Make him good again. Clean him from the filth the world covered him in. His sweet, sweet Steve.

"My love..." Tony said, his voice dropping and his eyes glazing over. 

It was a sucker punch and he staggered back, covering his face as he tried to keep himself steady.

The world was not filthy. Steve, like everyone else had flaws...he was not dirty, he was just human. He needed a conversation, not punishment. He was just a damaged young man. He was just Steve. His Steve.

Stop.

That had to stop.

He was fine. he was still Tony Stark. He was still Iron Man. Thanos would not take that away from him. He couldn't lose. He refused.

"I am Tony Stark." He hissed to himself as he stepped out of his room to head to the training room. "I am Iron Man."

-o-

Tony figured he was now thirty-five to thirty-seven, forty was possible but pushing it, and it seemed this was the age Thanos wished to keep him at as he hadn't changed for a long time. It was the same with everyone else in the ship; apparently Thanos had this specific lead ship under the influence of the Time-Stone, weaving in and out of the standard, human, concept of time. Thanos broke the news to him just a few days prior: he'd been with Thanos, training, for roughly two hundred and seventy-five years and it had been just nearly two weeks since Thanos plucked him up from the broken-down spaceship.

Time was a bitch.

It cracked Tony up at how marvelously inconsistent and easy to manipulate it was. To think he had been so naive to think it was something so easy to understand when he was at earth.

"Stark, sir," one of the alien lackies greeted with a respectful bow. For the longest time, Tony had wanted contact with others besides Thanos but once he got it he was severely disappointed in how dull they all were. He could see why Thanos never chose any of them to take his place. Weaklings who needed, and desperately searched, for a leader. Sheep.

"What?" Tony grunted as he continued to use his blade to shave; once he really knew how to use it, it became better than any razor on earth. His goatee was always sharp and pristine. His hair changed from longer to short at times, but he always kept his beard. Besides, he knew his Steve loved the look.

"You are requested at the memory chamber."

Tony paused. It had been a few years since Thanos used that technique on him. Honestly, he was surprised how little Thanos chose to use it.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Tell the old man I'll be there shortly." He went back to fixing himself up. He was already in the middle of a shave, he wasn't about to start because grape-face (still needed a new name) decided now was the time to walk down memory lane.

"Of course, sir." The alien bowed again and walked off.

Ugh.

What a pain in the ass.

Flicking the hairy soap into the sink, Tony dabbed his face clean and stared at his reflection; he was still Tony Stark. Surely. Just a bit rough around the edges. A bit more wise for the wear. Stronger, dangerous, calmer...but still Tony Stark. 

Walking out, Tony did not pause for anyone. Everyone understood they were to get out of his way when he was in the hall. Thanos wouldn't have it. The heir is bowed down to; he does not stop for anyone else. If they do not, it was Tony's responsibility to ensure they never do such disrespect again. 

The first time, Tony hated how easy it had been to just strike the insubordinate down. He had vomited after the fact, in the privacy of his own room, but he could never figure out if it was due to the killing itself or how he had found he didn't hesitate. Steve would've hesitated. Steve wouldn't have done it to begin with.

Steve. Steve. Steve.

"Of course, you are good, love." He noted as he walked, smiling when he saw the man at his side, looking at him with a shy smile.

"Not wise, though." His hallucination admitted with a one-sided shrug.

"You'll learn." Tony promised. "You're a good boy. A smart boy."

Steve scrunched his nose up, "You're saying things like that in public?"

"Like I give a shit what people think. You're not even here so I am already insane looking as it is. Why not throw a daddy-kink in for the hell of it?"

Steve laughed, "You sure you should say things like that when you really want to be a father? What would the girls think?"

"Our babies would never hear that, you disgusting." Tony laughed. "That's bedroom activities only."

Steve floated in front of him, grinning in mischief. "When are you coming back to see those activities begin?"

"Soon, my love. Soon." He promised, his voice a soothing purr. 

Steve's eyes turned sad, "Will you still be my Tony? Are you still there?"

A splitting headache made the image dissipate and he grabbed a wall to keep himself steady. He was going insane. He couldn't keep the thoughts or images at bay any longer, no matter how he tried. They slithered in and he fell into it each time. His hands were desperate for the feel of Steve's skin. To hear his real voice. Winter pine. Gentle tremors. 

"My son," Thanos' hand fell heavy on his shoulder, pulling him back into reality. Into real. The world. Everything. "Your mind appears to be troubled."

"You don't say." Tony pulled away, glaring at his captor. "Should probably not come as a surprise to you. If it does, you're an idiot."

Thanos did not seem upset about the words. He must have grown used to them after their nearly three-hundred years together. "I know you do not care for the use of your memory--"

"No shit."

"But I must be sure of your progress."

"Progress. Right," Tony sneered. "It's about brainwashing. You're still looking for that something to make me break. Must be getting boring after all this time to see I am still the same. You about to put an end to it or what?"

"The same," Thanos repeated. "You believe that?"

"Yes." Tony spat. "Yes, of course. I am still Tony Stark. A little tired. But fine. I'm fine."

"You are doing amazing, my heir. But still the same Tony Stark? That I am not sure."

"Fuck you."

"Then show me. Prove me wrong." He led the human into the memory room where the technology awaited. Tony didn't bother to fight but went over and allowed it to pick him up, needles penetrating his skin, and felt the glow of the mind stone wrap over him. He was being invaded with a promise of it all stopping if he just relented. If he'd just stop being stubborn and see the truth.

"I believe it is time to ask what you wish for.”

"What I wish for?"

"You are my heir. You have will deserve what it is you wish. Tell me, my son, what is you desire the most?"

Instantly Steve popped in his head that he tried to move around. No, no. Not Steve. Thanos did not deserve to see Steve. Not Steve. Not his Steve. 

"I will miss you, Tony." The memory glowed on the screen before them, unable to keep it back. His voice was so soft, that rare crooked grin on his face, and his eyes bright with something heavy behind them.

"Come on, Cap." He heard his own voice as the scene changed. "Let's see those muscles be put to work."

Steve threw him a false annoyed look, his lips twitching as he rolled up his blue sleeves and approached the dormant Mjolnir. Everyone quieted down when the hammer briefly moved before Steve stepped back, holding up his hands in surrender. Thor laughed and Steve and Tony clinked their beers in a mock toast over their failure.

Stop it.

"Is this all you got?" Steve smirked down at Tony on the padded ground. "I've heard so much about your moves. I had wanted to see them myself."

Tony, panting from their spar, just threw the blond a flirty grin. "Maybe I don't want to damage that little ego of yours, Cap. Ever think of that?"

"Uh-huh." Steve reached down, holding out his hand for Tony to take. Tony took the moment to pull at the arm hard and spin him over, watching as Steve grunted in surprise and found Iron Man above him, grinning wildly. "Oh."

"Yeah, Cap, oh. I believe that is my win."

"You played dirty."

"Such is life."

This was his. Thanos already saw everything else. This belonged to him. Thanos couldn't have it. He couldn't have Steve.

"We won." Steve said, breathlessly, looking at Tony with such tender eyes. 

No. No. NO.

"Tony, seriously." Steve rubbed his face. "Burgers again? You need to think about your health more."

Not Steve. _Not Steve_. 

"I'm sorry, Tony...but he's my friend."

"So was I."

"STOP IT!" He snarled and the vision quaked, stopping all together as he gave a murderous look to an interested Thanos. "That is not for you to see, you fucker."

"It was a necessary discomfort. But I do see how this has affected you. I apologize for that, son." Thanos turned and looked back at the screen. "That man...he held me back with his hands alone. He glared at me and without any power, kept me in place. He was magnificent."

The noise Tony made was not human.

"Could not be my heir. I could see it. That fire in his eyes...no, he was good but not the cut desired for this role."

Good. Steve needed to be kept as far away from all of this.

"But," Thanos nodded. "He is perfection. You made the best choice."

"For what?" Tony spat.

"You know, my son. Balance is key in everything, including ruling. Including chaos and restoration. I was able to maintain balance on my own, on some level, but even I know that two is stronger. A king needs a queen," he murmured, "this man is the bride for you."

"I..." He blinked, his chest constricting. "No. _No_. Steve is not...he's not part of this. He's not going to be part of this. You stay the hell away from him."

"He is what you desire most."

"That is irrelevant."

"You deserve more than what you have allowed yourself. This man is the one for you. He'll make you stronger. Better. Why deny yourself this?" Thanos asked, truly curious. 

"This is not going to happen."

"That is not an answer."

"It's all you're going to get." 

Thanos heaved a sigh, "This fire you have in you, Anthony, is brilliant and necessary as my heir...but you are only hurting yourself with how much you fight me. I have given you plenty of time, hundreds of years, to see the right path but you still refuse. If not for it being so vital, and you not on the wrong side, this would be something to be proud over."

Tony swallowed thickly. Thanos rarely used his name. It was always son or heir, with occasional Stark. Anthony rarely meant anything good for him.

"I want to show you something our followers have been working on the past years." He nodded to the shadows and an ugly looking creature hobbled out, holding a small machine with two wires with fine points at the end. It was simple looking really, awkwardly so, as it was just a metallic box, about the size of the tesseract, with noodle wires. "It may not look like much but it has taken time to ensure its stability."

"What is it?"

"A transfusion machine. Perhaps we could even call it one of transformation, to be hopeful of its ability."

"A," he licked his lips, dry, and gave an uneasy glare to the box. "A...transfusion...well, uh, interesting. What exactly does it do?"

Thanos balled one fist before he stabbed an end into his arm. "Your people have this ability. Blood transfusion. To save lives."

Tony jerked when the other end came to him. "Whoa, whoa...what the...blood transfusion...you moron you don't just...you're an alien! Who knows what that will do to me! You can't just...you're not...get that fucking thing away from me!"

"Hold him steady." Thanos commanded and the binds around Tony tightened, holding him tight and still. "This is not so much blood, my son, as it is for something more vital. More important."

Doing his best not to scream, the other end of the wire punctured the back of his head, right where the neck and skull meet, and something grappled on tight under the skin. He could feel something pulsing and moving.

"It will feel uncomfortable for a little while. But it will be over soon enough."

"What bullshit SCI-FI, magic-crap are you doing to me?" Tony hissed.

"Despite the influence the continuous use the stones have on you, you are still just human. You still have some limitations that I want to see rid from your body to ensure you are the best you can be." Thanos chuckled to himself. "Do not worry, you should not obtain my skin color that you so fondly love to ridicule."

"Don't make me sound like a racist." Tony grumped. "And that doesn't answer anything. What. Are. You. Doing. To. Me?"

"A transfer. Some of blood, yes, but mostly of power. A human cannot hold a stone raw. Even without use, the gauntlet will take its toll on you. I am ensuring that there is more for you to use when you take the throne."

"You can't transfer power." Tony huffed, not believing himself for a second. Of course Thanos would find a way to do so. Hell, if Tony really thought about it, it seemed do-able from a scientific standpoint as well. Look at Bruce and his Steve. Peter and Strange. There were gateways within an individual that could preform as a highway for transmitting abilities. Much like blood or marrow, the body could very well absorb what was provided and make it into its own.

Didn't mean he had to like the idea of it. Or accept it.

Thanos pulled up his ruined hand, still melted into the Infinity Gauntlet, "This will also be in affect. What better way for you to use the stones with some of their power already flowing through you? You have a chance of using them without such intense consequences as I faced this way."

'Holy hell.' Tony paled. 'What is he turning me into?'

"We will distract you, my son. Do not worry. This will go faster than you anticipate. Faster still once you accept it. Once you open yourself up to who you are and what you are meant to become. Once you understand the truth..." He smiled, softly and filled with such dark promises, "you will be reborn."

Tony refused to say anything. Refused to be reborn. Refused all of the crap.

"We begin now." And Thanos transferred the box from his good hand and into the gauntlet and the room shined with light and Tony screeched in agony.

It was fire and ice and light and darkness and burning, burning, burning. It was like he was aware of every single cell in himself and could feel something latch on to them. They boiled and shuddered, coiling and spiking, as every part of him trembled under whatever was being pumped into his system.

He retched but nothing came out. He felt like his nose was bleeding and his tongue felted coated with the coppery tang, but he could do nothing about it. He was being emptied out as something else, something that slithered like a shadow, filled its place.

'Push it back,' he demanded, gritting his teeth. 'Don't let it happen. Don't let him win. He can't win. He won't win. I've held on this long. I'm still Tony Stark. I am Iron Man.'

"Your bride..." Thanos stated, sounding mildly strained himself. "Tell me about him."

The screen came back to life once more, filled with his father's papers about Steve. Obsessive words filled the screen along with memorieis of old photos and video.

"Ah, a war hero." Thano nodded in approval. "A man who was ready to sacrifice his humanity to become an army for his people and, yet, his humanity is still in tact. Astounding."

Pickled plum didn't know or understand the half of it. He didn't see there was so much more to Steve than a science experiment.

Thanos continued to swipe through his memories of Steve like he was reading him like an Ipad.. “A strong man. Beautiful and kind. Smart. Naïve.” 

“Not…not always.” Tony seethed, his body hot. His anger was overwhelming as a new memory came up. Steve limping and bloody as he turned away from Tony’s fallen form to go pick up Bucky. Terrile loathing consumed him and he snarled at the image and the brunette. Something spiked within him and more pain shuddered through his body.

“A rival for your bride?” Thanos inquired.

“He stole him from me.” Tony growled. “No…he…” He shook his head. That wasn’t what happened, right? Steve left him. Steve chose Bucky. Steve was a liar.

Thanos made a movement that created a sort of rewind situation and Tony found himself forced to rewatch their civil war at least three times until Thanos felt confident he understood the situation.

“I see…” He looked towards his adopted son, staring with mixed longing and loathing at the image before him. Of the beautiful man turning from him to choose another. “Your bride does not seem pleased with the situation.”

The image, brief but now caught in a silent picture, was of complete heartbreak and regret. The pain on Steve’s face in that second was something new to Tony. His expression was open and raw and so very, very broken.

“Steve?”

“Hmm,” Thanos moved the image along to when Steve approached Bucky and helped him up, his shoulders slumping with something heavy before he dropped the shield on Tony’s command. “I see…a man torn between loyalties. That is not easy to face.”

“He chose Barnes,” Tony spat out.

“He chose wrong.” Thaons said in a tone of agreement. “Mistakes happen, my heir. Your bride was in a position very few face. He was trying to be loyal to you both…tell me, is this man selfish?”

“No. Rarely, if ever. Never,” he glared hotly at the feed looping from the moment Steve stared at him with agony to when he dropped his shield. “He never asked for anything.”

“You will need to teach your bride better. Had he learned to not fear his own wants he might have handled his first selfish encounter better.” He gave Tony another pat, “Sometimes being too good has its drawbacks. Your bride meant you no harm, heir, he was just blinded by what he had been told was good. He was crushed by it.”

Tony didn’t say anything.

Thanos shared a soft smile, “You see it too. He was burdened with a power but his naiviety was taken advantage of by others. They turned his good into their own.”

He gritted his teeth and tried to shrug the slimey words out of his ears. The world had dirtied his Steve. Tried to suffocate him and take him away for what was right in the world. No. No. He already faced this line of thinking. It was fine. It wasn’t right. No. No. “If he had just listened to me…”

“It would have been better. Yes, ah yes,” Thanos nodded in agreement. “I understand so well. “

“I just wanted to protect everyone. To protect him.”

“For the greater good.” 

“It just…it would hurt some people. Cost some their freedoms.”

“Of course not everyone wishes to sacrifice some of their joys for the sake of others.” Thanos sighed. “If one were to simply look at the grander picture they would understand what is necessary, even if painful, ensures the well-being for others.”

There was something in Tony’s stare, some open heartache, as he gazed upon the gentle profile of Steve. “He would. He would sacrifice everything. He just…he just thought their happiness outweighed their safety.”

Now Thanos had to laugh, “A good and stubborn one. You chose very well.”

“He betrayed me.”

“Did he?”

“That man,” he growled at the brunette in the memory, “killed my parents and Steve protected him. Steve never told me.”

“He knew from the beginning?”

“No…maybe three years.” Tony confessed. “Enough time. There were so many opportunities and he chose not to. He picked someone else. He lied to me. He’s a liar.”

“No, my heir, look again. Watch again.” He titled Tony’s head back up to the images. “Look at the face he gave you. That is one of pain and love. One of a man doing something he doesn’t want to do.”

That expression…there was so much to it. So much pain and heaviness.

“Are you sure all his actions were done by himself?”

Something shuddered in his mind and Tony froze.

“How much influence…how much control does this man,” the image froze of Bucky grasping onto Steve, leaning against him, his expression calm in comparison to the ache upon the blond’s. “Have over your bride?”

“They were best friends.” Tony said, his voice soft.

“Were they?” Thanos tilted his head. “Why does he not show pain for his friend’s pain? Why does he grip your bride so?”

Something slithered in his head and his arc stuttered briefly.

“Steve?”

“I cannot say much, I was not there, but this man of yours does not appear to be doing his actions with a willing heart.”

“Steve…”

Was it true? Was this…his Steve was good. 

No. No...wait, no, he didn't...did he? Was he? 

Steve. Steve. Steve. 

Tony tried to catch his breath, his vision was slipping and he was losing his train of thought. He was fighting something before, right? Wasn't he? There was something important that he could not forget...but what was more important than Steve?

What was he fighting for?

Nothing. The wrong thing. You're exhausting yourself. Just let go and take the happiness you deserve. You deserve it, Tony. Take it. It's fine. It's yours. Take it. Take it. TAKE IT.

Was it truly ok?

Was he truly allowed to take it, make it his own...when was the last time he allowed himself to feel and own and...Steve.

Steve...

Something deep in him shuddered terribly. His muscles bunched up before something released and relaxed and it felt so easy and right. It had been so hard...so long since he last felt any sort of happiness. When was the last time anything was easy? Never. Not even when his parents were alive. He was exhausted. All the time. 

Was it wrong of him to want happiness and easiness and some genteelness in his life? Was it wrong for Tony to just be happy?

Every waking moment someone demanded something from him. Someone wanted to use him. Betrayed him. Told him he was nothing more than a villain in the making who was better off dead than anything else.

Nothing spared for him...

"Stark, uh, Tony?" 

The image changed to outside a dirtied restaurant with residue of alien carcasses and New York rubble around.

Steve, only three weeks out of the ice, covered in his old suit, with his helmet long gone and his longer blond hair hovering over his face. His cheeks were smudged with soot and blood and there was a slight limp in his walk though he made no notice of it. He was standing straight like a soldier, but he still looked a bit small. Unsure. So terribly lonely.

"Yeah?" Tony cocked a brow, still in his suit. In 2012 it did not come on and off as easy as it did now. "You gonna confess it was you that kissed me?"

Steve flushed, his cheeks puffing slightly as he swallowed down a snap back. "I...I'm sorry."

"Uh..." Tony blinked. "Ok?"

"About...how we met and on the airship," he even looked up at the sky as if he would see it again. "I was wrong. You are a man who will cut the wire."

"Oh." He blinked slowly, his stomach churning.

"I shouldn't have said that. You know, before. I should never have said that."

"Well," he cleared his throat, his brown eyes looking everywhere but those earnest, honest pretty blues. "That blue square was being a right to dick to us both."

"No." Steve shook his head. "I said that. It fed into my anger but _I_ still said it. I never should have. I was wrong and I am sorry. You didn't deserve that."

"Oh." Was all he could say.

"I should've apologized before you proved me wrong." Steve continued. "You, uh, you were amazing."

Tony's skin prickled and instantly his shields were up in spades, ready to bounce off all of these words. He should say something nice back. He should apologize right back; say that Steve was not a lab rat. That he was something special. He was good.

He said nothing.

"And sorry for, uh, ever saying anything to you about your dad." He looked away. "I don't know what happened but Natasha suggested I don't pry or anything. So, I'm sorry about that."

"Yeah, well, no worry and all of that." Tony waved him off, guilt boiling, and something else...something more delicate, and quickly looked away. He should apologize for how he treated Steve when they first met...how all his jealousy and own loneliness and painful want made him lash out. He rejected Steve's polite reach for friendship and familiarity and Tony had left him alone. "We were both not in a good place. Now we are!"

A piece of cement fell from the sky and crashed against the street a few yards behind Tony. Steve peeked around and then looked at Tony with a tilted brow and his first crooked smile. "Right. Good place."

Tony had wanted to kiss him at that moment. 

Instead he just rolled his eyes and said something snarky, gave a pat on the big guy's back and urged him inside for his first Shwarma experience.

"I will miss you, Tony."

"Language!"

"Tony!"

“We’ll do this together.”

"I can't sign this..."

"I'm sorry, Tony."

"If you ever need me, I'll be there."

Tony, Tony, Tony...

Steve always used his name. Always looked at him in the eye. Always apologized. Always tried. Was a scared young man who shuddered, who made mistakes, who had a snarky attitude, who's temper was used for something better, who was polite even to the nastiest of people...who made Tony feel more human than anything or anyone else ever.

"Steve..."

All his. Could be all his. Could make everything better.

His Steve...Steve, Steve, Steve.

"Steve..."

Tony hissed and arched, feeling fire rip through his veins. It hurt, burned, but he loved it. Wanted more of it. It was power and knowledge and he could practically taste the winter pine coating over his tongue. This was better than any sex he had before, any fine bourbon, any drug that had once filled his veins. It was sweet and gorgeous and perfect, perfect, perfect.

Steve.

Lovely Steve.

 _His Steve_.

Another surge of pleasurable fire rushed through him and he could see that future of his clearer than before; Steve, their children, the power, the safety, the good of it all...

Mine.

Something exploded out of him, the ship shuddering and briefly going dark, before the air was silent save for some crackling in the air. 

Tony collapsed, his knee and hands catching himself as he inhaled and exhaled slowly. Slowly, he stood up, skin tingling, his fingertips ached for the touch of pale skin. 

"Oh," he breathed out, finding everything so different. So wonderfully different.

Thanos approached, a smile on his face. "Now, my heir...let's begin."

Slowly, a smile as hungry as a feline spread across his face, "Yes. Let's."

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another Dark-Tony! These are my favorite...I can't help it!
> 
> This is a hopeful two-shot, but it will not be any longer than a four-shot. I hope to keep this under control as Spoils to the Hero and The Iron Brand were supposed to be short...and Spoils has chapter seventeen being written and the Iron Brand has hit a small snag because of plot-bunnies. Ugh. So difficult.
> 
> Hopefully I can keep this thing a little more under control than both of those!


End file.
